Device for independent voting.



G. H. OGUMPAUGH. DEVICE FOR INDEPENDENT VOTING. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 21, 1904.

Patented May 9, 1911.

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CHARLES H. OGUMPAUGH, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

DEVICE FOR INDEPENDENT VOTING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1911.

Original application filed April 5, 1901, Serial No. 54,517. Divided and this application filed October 21, 1904. Serial No. 229,418.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHAnLns H. OoUM- PAUGH, a resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Independent Voting; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to voting machines and particularly to mechanism for so called irregular or independent voting, and this application is a division of my application Number 54,517, filed April 5, 1901.

The invention has for its object to improve the convenience, certainty and general efficiency of such mechanism.

The invention consists in the construction hereinafter described and pointed out.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification Figure l is a broken plan of a voting machine, a part of the face plate being broken away; Fig. 2 is a partial vertical section lengthwise the machine; Fig. 3 is a partial section taken transversely to the section shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4; is a broken elevation showing irregular voting mechanism in normal situation, an interlocking-ball-channel being shown in section; and Fig. 5 is a similar view illustrating the position of the same after the indication of avote, a modification of the final ballot receptacle being shown,the ballot being free to drop into its receptacle. Fig. 6 is a partial plan view of the irregular-ballot releasing-bar.

The voting machine as shown comprises a box or case having a hinged cover Z with extensions Z Said extensions may fit in suit-able recesses Z in the box ends when the cover is closed. It is intended that the box containing the voting mechanism shall be placed on a table with the hinged side of the cover toward the inspectors. While the cover is shut, the voting mechanism is looked through the medium of the link mechanism K, K resetting-bar-actuator J, and a resetting bar H, so that no matter in what angle or position the box may be placed and though even bottom side up, the voting mechanism will not move as long as the cover is closed, said bar H being in normal, that is, locking position. The raising of the cover Z by the voter, together with its fixed end sections Z cuts oif from the view of the election ofiicials and others the vote indicators or buttons, and at the same time releases the locking mechanism so that the voter is free to make choice of any of the candidates whose names are shown on the machine.

T denotes a ballot-receiving slot or chamber in the rocking or rotating cover E the chamber being shown covered in Fig. 4: and open or exposed in Fig. 5.

T denotes a ballot inserted in said chamber preparatory to being cast by dropping into a receptacle X secured at X below the irregular-ballot releasing-bar M V, Fig. 4 denotes a cord for closing the lower end of the receptacle. The several cylindrical covers 13 for the receptacles X for irregular votes project slightly through the face plate W.

The bar 1V 1 is moved from the situation shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. t by the voter when he raises the cover of the machine. The projection M then closes the bottom of the ballot receiving slot T This bar M has a slot or passage formed by reducing the thickness of the bar to the right of the projection IV as indicated by the short transverse lines on the bar inFigs. 4 and 5, and as shown in plan in Fig. 6. The

slotted or reduced part is put out of alinement with the ballot-receiving slot T by the opening of the cover, so that a ballot inserted in said latter slot after proper manipulation of receiver T, rests on the thicker part of bar M that is, on the part M The ballot when in slot T prevents rotating the cover by the handle sufficiently for its discharge into the receptacle X. When the voter leaves his selected ballot in the slot T and begins the closing of the machine cover, the slot in the bar M is alined with slot T and the ballot deposited in the receptacle X. The voter can change his ballot at any time before he closes the cover. The completion of closing of the cover actuates the resetting bar H which resets cover B and its handle A A denotes single candidate push buttons, A straight ticket push buttons or vote indicators, and A constitute vote indicators, keys or handles for irregular voting. These buttons andhandles by preference are operatively supported in a face plate W situated below the top of the box.

B denotes a main push bar having thereon a button A, and D is a secondary or supplemental push bar connected by an arm C to the main bar B. Said latter bar is operatively connected to a toothed wheel Sfixed to a register E and is adapted to move said wheel into the path of counter-actuating devices including a frame G. The supplemental bar D is a part of the interlocking mechanism, and is simultaneously moved with and by the main bar B to lock out other bars and indicators.

B and D indicate push bars having handles or indicators A and A for a part-y and an irregular vote respectively. The bar B interlocks with the regular bars D in a manner to be explained. Each push bar B and D, the latter pertaining to the irregular vote indicators, is connected to a resetting bar H by a pin N fixed to one of the former bars and movable in a triangular opening in the latter bar, said pin being normally situated in the upper left hand angle as shown in Fig. 2.

J is a frame-moving bar which also resets through the medium of the bar H all the vote indicators that have been left in voted position including the irregular handle A cylinder B and bar D The resetting-baractuator J connected by links K, K to the cover as set forth is provided with a cam slot 0 having a bar-moving inclined part 0 and a bar holding part 0 in which works a pin fixed to the bar H. The actuator-bars J and H and push button A are shown as reset in Fig. 2, the previous temporary situation of the push button A being indicated by broken lines. Said actuatorbar J has also cam slot P to receive a pin P fixed to the counter-actuating frame G. The slot P has a frame-actuating inclined part P and an oppositely inclined part P separated from it by a straight vertical part which together act in manner to leave the frame G in suitable situation to be moved when the bar J is actuated mediately by the cover to cause said frame to do its work and to return for a repetition of the same.

M denotes a bar connecting a straight ticket push bar B with the individual candidate push bars B of a party. Said straight ticket push bar B has a pin N which is engaged in an inclined slot N in said bar M to move the latter. The individual push bars B are connected to said bar M by pins N fixed thereto and engaging openings N. The pushing in of a key A moves a bar M by means of the pin N in slot N to the right with the effect to push or force in all the bars B having pins N in openings N in said bar M. The straight ticket bar M is reset through the medium of the bar B by a reverse action of pins N and N The raising of the cover moves the parts K and J from the position indicated by broken lines in Fig. 3 to that shown by full lines in Figs. 2 and 3. his causes the pins N" and I" to take their lowest positions in slots 0 and P respectively without moving the resetting bar H or the counter-actuating wheel S, or the straight. ticket bar hi and also leaves the push button A and bar B in operative situation. Upon the pushing of said button and bar down by the voter to the situation indicated by broken lines, the pins N and N are carried without moving either the straight ticket bar M or the resetting bar H. \Vhen the cover is closed by the out-going voter the bar J is thereby pushed down and pin hl enters the slot part and resets bar H by the pressure of said pin against the upper wall of said slot part 0*, the resetting of the push bar B being offected by pin i pressing against the longer side of the triangular opening in said bar H.

The bars B have connected thereto as above stated interlocking bars D provided with wed ge-shaped ends I) which are pushed between balls, or the like, movably supported in a suitable conduit in a frame. Said frame comprises parallel members 1* joined by curved members 1*, the ball conduit being continuous except as interrupted by the abutments and push bars. Any plane passing, in the present instance, transversely through two balls in the curved section has an included angle greater than a right angle with a plane passing through the balls in one of the parallel sections, and balls moved from one of the parallel sections toward another are never obliged to turn a right angle or an angle less than a right angle.

B denotes adjustable abutment or ballstopping bars detachably secured in place by pins B.

Each irregular push bar denoted by D pivoted to a rotatable or rocking covering cylinder B has a wedge foot similar to those of bars D to crowd the balls and lock out other push bars whenever said cover is rotated by its handle A from the situation shown in Fig. i to that shown in Fig. 5.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is- 1. In a voting machine a face plate having slots, an irregular-ballot-receiving body for each slot, a handle fixed to such body and projecting through the face plate, the body having an opening therethrough for a ballot, such ballot when inserted in said opening extending into the base plate slot and preventing return of the body, a reciprocatory part in situation to prevent depositing the voted ballot, and means operated by the voter on leaving the machine to move said reciprocatory part from the path of the ballot.

2. A voting machine having a slotted face plate, and including an irregular device consisting of a rotary part situated in the face plate slot and having an opening therethrough normally closed, said rotary part being directly movable in the face plate slot by the voter to uncover said opening for the temporary reception of a ballot, and a movable part to temporarily support the ballot in said rotary part, and means for moving said part from the path of the ballot.

3. A voting machine having a slotted face plate, and including an irregular device consisting of a rotary part situated in the face plate slot and having an opening there through normally closed, said rotary partbeing directly movable in the face plate slot by the voter for the temporary reception of a ballot, a movable part to temporarily support the ballot in said rotary part, and means for moving said part from the path of the ballot, in combination with interlocking mechanism connected operatively to said rotary part.

t. In a voting machine, regular candidate voting devices, an irregular-voting device, there being an irregular ballot-retard ing chamber in said device, means for moving said device to voted position, a movable ballot-support which forms one Wall of the ballot-retarding chamber when said device has been thus moved, means for depositing the voted ballot, and means for prevent-ing the casting of a subsequent vote by the voter.

5. In a voting machine, regular candidate voting devices, an irregular voting device, there being a ballot-retarding chamber in said device, means for moving said device to voted position, a movable ballotsupport Which forms one wall of the retarding chamber when said device has been thus moved, means for depositing the voted ballot, and cooperating interlocking devices for the regular and the irregular voting devices.

6. In a voting machine, a slotted face plate, a movable ballot-receiving device normally situated in and closing the slot in the face plate, there being a ballot-receiving opening in said device normally closed but open when said device is moved to voted position, a movable part to temporarily support a ballot in the receiver, whereby a ballot inserted may prevent movement of the ballot-receiving device until the removal of the ballot-supporting part, and means operable by the outgoing voter to move said part from the path of the ballot.

7. In a voting machine having a face plate, an irregular voting device consisting of a reciprocating rotary ballot-receiving part having an opening therethrough normally in inoperative situation, an actuator integral With said part, means under control of the voter consisting of the actuator for freely shifting the rotary part to bring its receiving part into and out of operative position, and a movable support M for closing the opening in the movable ballotreceivlng part.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of tWo subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES H. OGUMPAUGH.

Witnesses:

A. M. GREENWOOD, JoHN GEO. OBRIEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

